Machine for compressing cotton wads



April 6, 1937. J. A. voss MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS Filed May 5, 1935 7 Sheets-Sheet l Q MN mu all M.

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April 6, 1937. .1. A. voss MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS v Filed May 3, 1935 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 VII/III fill/171491 ill/I147 .is i

ATTORNEY.

April 6, 1937. J. A. voss MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS Filed May 5, 1935. 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 A v a 6 Am: 0

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April 6, 1937. J. A. voss MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 3, 1935 INVENTOR. half/W r/ a.s.: BY W ATTORNEY.

J. A. VOSS MACHINE FOR GOMPRESSING COTTON .WAD

April 6, 1937.

Filed May 5, 1955 7 Sheeta-Sheet 6 QH P. l & M :2? :52: i 5::

A ril 6, 1937.

.1, A. voss MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS 7 Shee tsPSheet 7 Filed May 3, 1935 I INVENTOR.

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I ATTORNEY.

:7 .3 V 1 l. kl i Patented Apr. 6, 1937 PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS Joseph A. Vote, Denver, 0010., assignor to Tam pa: Sales Corporation, Denver, Colo.

Application May a. 1935, Serial No. 19,658

scum.

This invention relates to a machine for compressing cotton for the manufacture of catamenial devices, and more particularly to the manufacture of a catamenial device such as shown in prior Patent No. 1,926,900.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a highly efiicient machine which will rapidly and efiiciently convolute cotton strips and compress the same into a relatively tight self-sustaining core or wad.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the device that the wads or cores will be held under compression for an interval of time to set the fibers thereof, without this interval interfering with the quantity production of the machine.

Other objects of the invention are to construct a machine of this type which will be safe to operate; which will automatically stop in case of unusual strains, improper feeding, etc.; which will form a cotton wad with an enlarged head thereon; and which will not break, crush, or damage the threads or strings with which such wads are provided. 7

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efiiciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawings and throughout the description.

In the drawings:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the invention, looking at the right side thereof, with the drive mechanism removed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken on the line .40 2--2, Fig. 1.

55 tions on the line 6-6, Fig. 4, illustrating the side Fig. 7 is a detail section taken on the line 1-1,

compression jaws in the closed and open positions, respe(tively.

Fig. 11 is a detail section, illustrating the action of the ejecting plunger in the chamber wheel.

Figs. 12 and 13 are enlarged longitudinal sec- 7, tions, on the line 4-4, Fig. 2, illustrating the end compression plunger in the withdrawn and compression positions, respectively.

Fig. 14 is a detail view of the cartridge wheel ball click. 1..

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic view of the first compression step.

In the drawings, the strip of cotton to be compressed is indicated at It with its withdrawal string at 51, and the compressed wads or cores 1:, are indicated at H.

Briefly, the machine comprises a tucking blade l2 having a reciprocating motion to tuck the cot ton strip H into acompression chamber M. The compression chamber is covered by means of a 20 glass plate l5 beneath which two side compression dies I6 reciprocate. After the tucked cotton enters the compression chamber M, the two side dies 16 close. The faces of these dies are semicylindrical so that they form the cotton into the 25 cylindrical core shape II. This compressed core is then expelled from the compression chamber by means of a compression plunger I1. From the compression chamber, the cotton passes through a bore in a guide block I8 and into one 30 of a plurality of chambers is into a chamber Wheel 20. The plunger ll passes sufficiently far into the chambers I9 to give a secondary compression to the cotton core therein so as to force it against a head forming die 2| at the opposite 35 I extremity of the chamber which forms a mushroom-like head upon the wad. The chamber wheel then moves to present the next successive chamber to receive the next successive wad, etc. The wads ,are held in the chamber wheel until the latter rotates approximately of a revolution, at which time, the chambers come opposite an expelling plunger 22 which expels the wads from the chamber wheel to any suitable receiver.

In detail, the machine comprises a suitable 5 supporting frame 23, the top of. which forms a work table 24. The table 24 is grooved longitudinally throughout its length to provide space for the compression plunger I! and its operating mechanism. A drive shaft 25 is journalled laterally of the frame I 0 and provided with a cam 26. A fly wheel disc 89 is secured on the drive shaft to store energy for the various cams.

- A cam lever 21 is hinged at 28 adjacent the bottom of the frame 23. The cam lever 21 is provided with a cam follower roll 31 which is constantly held against the cam 26 by means of a tension spring 38. The upper extremity of this lever is connected through the medium of a link 29 with a slide block 30 which travels in side grooves 3| in the central slot of the work table 24. The rear extremity of the plunger I1 is threaded into a plunger block 32 which is tied to the slide block 30 by means of an adjustment screw 33 so that the distance between the plunger block and the slide block can be varied to accurately adjust the projection of the plunger IT. The pressure of the slide block 30 is transmitted to the plunger block by means of a slidable pressure rod 34 mounted in the block 30. This rod is forced forwardly against the plunger block 32 by means of a compression spring 35. The compression spring 35 determines the pressure exerted on the wad and is adjustable through a spring adjusting screw 36. It can be readily seen that as the shaft 25 rotates, the cam 26 will swing the lever 21 to reciprocate the plunger IT in accordance with the contour of the cam 26.

The mechanism for operating the side compression dies I6 is as follows: a cam shaft 39 is mounted below the side dies and provided with a cylindrical cam 40. The cam shaft 39 is driven from the drive shaft 25 through the medium of suitable miter gears 4|, jack shaft 42, and spur gears 43 so that the cam shaft 39 will rotate in unison with the drive shaft 25. The cam shaft 39 is provided with a pair of oppositely acting cams 44 against each of which cam followers on the lower extremities of a pair of levers 45 are held by means of a tension spring 46. The levers 45 are pivoted intermediate their extremities on studs 41 extending from a cross member in the frame 23. The upper extremity of each of the levers 45 is connected to one of the two side compression dies l6 through a suitable link 46. Thus, it can be seen that as the shaft 39 rotates, the cams 44 will cause the levers 45 to alternately push the side dies l6 away from each other or pull them toward each other once in each revolution.

The ejection plunger 22 is actuated-from a cam 40 on the cam shaft 39. This cam actuates the lower extremity of a lever 49 which is pivoted intermediate its extremities at 50. The upper extremity of this lever is connected by means of a link to the ejecting plunger 22. A tension spring 52 draws upon the plunger 22 to assist the return thereof.

The tucking blade I2 is mounted on a blade shaft l3 which is operated from a crank 53. A

' connecting rod 54 connects the crank 53 with a crank pin upon the face of a driven pulley 55 within the frame 23. The pulley 55 is driven from a suitable belt 56. A guard 86 is provided to protect the operator from the tucker blade |2.

The cotton strips I0, as before stated, are provided with withdrawal strings or cords 51 which follow behind the strips as they enter the compression chamber M. The cartridge wheel does not rotate sufficiently far between each operation of the plunger H to completely withdraw these strings 51 from the compression chamber. Means must therefore be provided to withdraw the preceding string before the next plug enters the chamber. This is accomplished by means of a relatively thin string blade 58 which reciprocates into the space between the guide block I 8 and the cartridge wheel 26 after each plug enters its chamber l9, so as to pull the strings from the compression chamber and fold them downwardly along the face of the cartridge wheel 20. The

blade 56 is reciprocated from a bell crank lever 59 pivoted at 60 on the work table 24. The bell crank lever 59 is reciprocated by means of a connecting rod 6|, leading from the outer extremity of a cam lever 62. The other extremity of the cam lever 62 bears against a cam 63 on the shaft 39 so that at each revolution of the latter, the lever 62 will be lifted to force the blade 58 downwardly along the face of the cartridge wheel 20 to push the string 51 downwardly therealong.

The cartridge wheel 20 is rotated by the following mechanism. The .periphery of the wheel is provided with ratchet teeth 64 against which a sliding pawl 65 acts. The sliding pawl 65 is actuated from a single toothed ratchet 66 secured on the cam shaft 39. The pawl is provided with an upper ratchet tooth for engaging the teeth 64 of the wheel 20, and with a lower ratchet tooth "to be engaged by the tooth of the gear 66. A

spring 61 constantly holds one extremity of the pawl upwardly so as to maintain the upper tooth in engagement with the teeth 64. A second spring 68 acts to return the pawl to its normal position after each reciprocation.

It can be seen that each revolution of the shaft 39 will cause the pawl 65 to rotate the cartridge wheel one tooth space, and since the teeth are equal in number to the chambers l9, it will rotate this wheel one chamber space.

It is essential that the chambers IQ of the cartridge wheel stop in perfect alignment with the plunger H. To insure this, the periphery of the cartridge wheel is provided with a series of depressions 83 into which a spring actuated ball 84, see Fig. 14, is forced, after each movement of the wheel, thus insuring perfect alignment with the chambers |9.

The end thrust of the plugs as they enter the hambers in the wheel 20 is received on the head of a die 2|, the extremity of which is indented to form a mushroom-like head upon each of the plugs. The die 2| is carried in a slidably mounted die block 69 and its position in the die block can be adjusted by means of an adjusting screw 10. The die block 69 reciprocates toward the chamber wheel at each compression stroke, and moves away from the chamber wheel during the rotation of the latter. This reciprocating motion is accomplished by connecting the die block 69 with the upper extremity of a rocking lever'll. The lever II is hinged intermediate its extremities on a hinge pin I2 and carries a cam follower roll 13 at its lower extremity. The roll 13 rides against a cam face on a face cam 14 also mounted on the cam shaft 39. It can be seen that at each revolution of the shaft 39, the end forming die 2| will move against the cartridge wheel to absorb the thrust of the incoming core so as to prevent the latter being forced through the chamber, and to mold a head thereon. A compression spring 15 acts to maintain the lever ll against its cam 14.

The machine may be driven in any suitable manner, as illustrated, it is driven from a speed reducer 16 which in turn is driven from a suitable electric motor 11 through the medium of a belt 18. The belt 56 which actuates the tucker blade |2 can be driven from a pulley 85 upon the fast shaft of the speed reducer I6. The shaft of the speed reducer is provided with a fixed clutch member 19 and the extremity of the drive shaft is provided with a slidable clutch member 86, splined thereon, which cooperates with the first clutch member 19. The clutch member The operator feeds the strip of cotton Ill beneath the tucker blade guard 86 where it will 15 be engaged by the tucker blade I! and tucked into the compression chamber IS. The operator then touches the solenoid contact, causing the solenoid 82 to engage the drive shaft clutch. The first movement is to cause a first point 88 on 20 the cam 26 to reciprocate the plunger a relatively short stroke to press the cotton into the compression chamber it. The plunger then moves slightly rearward while the side dies it close upon the cotton to form it into a cylindrical block. The plunger ll again starts forward and pushes the compressed plug into the chamber wheel where it exerts the final pressure thereon against the heading member 2|. The plunger then quickly returns to its withdrawn 30 position, the side jaws open, the heading member moves away from the cartridge wheel, and the latter rotates one space to receive the next plug. While the plug is receiving its final compression in the cartridge wheel, the expelling 35 plunger 2 is forced forward by the cam 40 to expel the next successive plug from the cartridge wheel.

It is desired to call attention to the first action of the plunger ll. As this plunger makes its 40 initial entrance between the side dies, the latter are in frictional engagement with the cotton core. This causes the plunger to bend the convolutions forward as shown in Fig. 15. When the side dies then close these convolutions are 5 uniformly bent back upon themselves. This plug structure has been found more satisfactory than a non-uniform compression of the convoluted cotton.

While a specific form of the improvement has 50 been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Having thus described the invention, what is 55 claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent l. A machine for compressing cotton strips into compressed self-sustaining} cores comprising: an

inserting member; a compression chamber for.

60 receiving said cotton from said inserting member; laterally moving. dies initially compressing said cotton in said compression chamber; a longitudinal moving plunger for imparting a second compression to said cotton therein; a guide block 5 on the discharge extremity of said compression chamber in alignment with said plunger; a traveling series of receiving chambers; and 'means for successively aligning said chambers with the passage in said guide block so that said plunger 70 may force the wad from said compression chamber through said guide block into one of said receiving chambers.

2. A machine for compressing cotton strips into compressed self-sustaining cores comprising an 75 inserting member; a compression chamber for receiving said cotton from said inserting member; laterally moving dies initially compressing .said cotton in said compression chamber; a longitudinal moving plunger for imparting a second compression to said cotton therein; a guide block ontheidischarge extremity of said'compression chamber in alignment with said plunger; a traveling series of receiving chambers; and means for successively aligning said chambers with the passage in said guide block so that said plunger may force the wad from said compression chamber through said guide block into one of said I receiving chambers; an expelling plunger with. which said receiving chambers successively align;

and means for actuating said expelling plunger is): as to force said wads from said receiving cham- 3. A machine for compressing cotton strips into compressed self-sustaining cores comprising: an inserting member; a compression chamber for receiving said cotton from said inserting member; laterally moving dies initially compressing said cotton in said compression chamber; a longitudinal moving plunger for imparting a second compression to said cotton therein; a guide block on the discharge extremity. of said compression chamber in alignment with said plunger; a traveling series of receiving chambers; means for successively aligning-said chambers with the passage in said guide block so that said plunger may force the wad from said compression chamber through said guide block into one of said receiving chambers; a heading die; and means for moving said heading die against each of said receiving chambers when the latter are in alignment with said compression chamber.

4. In a machine for compressing cotton wads having a string depending therefrom; a compression chamber; a receiving chamber; and a blade-like member moving between said compression chamber and said receiving chamber so as to contact and withdraw said string from said compression-chamber. 5. In a machine for compressing cotton wads of the type having a withdrawal string attached thereto; a compression chamber; a traveling series of receiving chambers; means for intermittently actuating said series so as to successively bring said receiving chambers opposite said compression chamber; a plunger for forcing a wad from said compression chamber into said receiving chamber; and means for withdrawing said withdrawal string from said compression chamber.

6. In a machine for compressing cotton wads of the type having a withdrawal string attached thereto; a compression chamber; a traveling series of receiving chambers; means for intermittently actuating said series so as to successively bring said receiving chambers opposite said compression chamber; a plunger for forcing a wad from said compression chamber into said receiving chamber; a relatively thin blade-like member positioned between said compression chamber and said receiving chamber; and means for reciprocating said blade-like member so as to contact with and withdraw each of said strings from said compression chamber.

7. A machine for compressing cotton into selfsustaining wads comprising: a work table; a compression chamber positioned below the surface of said work table; a plunger; means for moving said plungerinto said compression chamber, said plunger being positioned below the surface of said table and parallel therewith; a passage extending from the surface of said work table to said compression chamber; a shaft positioned above said passage; a tucking arm secured to said shaft and provided with a curved extremity to enter said passage; and means for reciprocating said shaft so as to cause said arm to tuck the cotton from said work table through said passage into said compression chamber.

8. A machine for compressing cotton into self- 10 sustaining wads comprising: a work table; a

compression chamber positioned below the sur- 

